Guns for Hire - Script Fifty Two

Uzzitt farm (AKA Wildgoose Sanctuary) Mariposa 2.49pm, 3/08/17

By mid afternoon Vrasten had finally managed to successfully navigate American Airlines online booking system & had four return tickets for a direct flight from SFO at San Francisco departing at 11.35am the following day, the flight around eighteen hours nonstop, was due to arrive at Ninoy Aquino, Manila International Airport, at around 2.35pm local time the same day. They'd agreed between them to stay over in Manila for a few days & catch the once weekly ferry to Puerta Princessa on the following Tuesday, after all what was the rush, they were tourists going on holiday.

At some length Vrasten & T-Bird discussed the benefits of flying in kit to Manila or by air drop to a remote location of Palawan using the of the record services of the Moran Shipping Agency who'd provided air support on their previous excursions into Ecuador & the Yemen, Alex, somewhat grumpily pointed out that this was meant to be a reconnaissance mission & as they were flying tomorrow it was all a bit of the cuff, throwing his hands in the air Vrasten walked away muttering.

Uzzitt farm (AKA Wildgoose Sanctuary) Mariposa 3.02am, 4/08/17

With the mid morning flight all arranged Hercaclio had agreed to drive them to SFO rather than leave a vehicle for a couple of weeks at the airport, with flip flops & shorts packed they piled into one of the trucks & headed north.

Hercaclio passed T-Bird an official looking envelope, apologising that it had arrived a day or two back but that he hadn't passed it on. It was addressed to Mr. G.T. Ryder & bore a post mark identifying it as being FBI issued. Slitting the seal T-Bird scanned the contents & then glanced at Hercaclio before passing it around for general interest. The letter was signed by one Elisa Stringer; the Bureau liaison officer appointed to the kidnapping & attempted murder charges.

Briefly the letter confirmed what the letter already received & read by Hercaclio & Elodia earlier in the week had said, that the identified suspects had been confronted at the head quarters of the AAAL & that a armed stand off had followed in which a number of persons had been shot &/or arrested. It also confirmed that whilst one of the suspects had died as a result of his injuries the second kidnapper was to be arraigned for trial on the 15th September & that whilst he, T-Bird, was welcome to attend it was not thought necessary at this time.

SFO, San Francisco, Southern California 8.58am, 4/08/17

After a slightly cramped drive listening to Hercaclio's questionable taste in music they'd arrived at SFO & checked in their baggage, their was a slight whimper from T-Bird when for a moment he realised that his travel visa wasn't with his passport but it with that found Vrasten inserted a prepaid card onto which he'd already transferred $10K of the $150K ex gratia from Saleh into one of the airports data terminals, with E-tickets & boarding cards printed out they headed through the barrier for gate 43.

All felt slightly naked as apart from a filleting knife that Vrasten had packed as part of their persona as anglers on holiday there wasn't a single firearm between them.

They had considered side arms which could b signed in with American Airlines for secure transport however not having worked the Philippines previously & concerned that this would make them a likely target for Balelang's Mapang-api Lalaki, besides they were confident that if this trip turned into more than simple reconnaissance they could acquire the necessary fire power locally.

On route to the gate Vrasten had to keep reminding himself that unlike the others he'd decided to travel incognito rather than on his government issued identity card, several times he almost fell foul when the ticket clerk addressed Archibold Cohen, chartered accountant, & was ignored by Vrasten, fortunately Archibold's forged identity was as good as it gets & suspicions were not aroused.

Ninoy Aquino, Manila, Philippines 2.49pm, 4/08/17

Eighteen hours later the AA's Boeing Y3 Ecoliner touched down at Ninoy Aquino, as the aircraft's forward door peeled open hot humid air washed through the cabin but after eighteen hours sat trapped between Skinpin snoring & a rather obese & odorous Cypriot woman T-Bird wouldn't have complained if it was snowing. Ninoy Aquino, Manila, Philippines 3.27pm, 4/08/17 Stood watching the empty baggage carousel endlessly circle the arrivals lounge Alex eventually concluded that her second case wasn't going to appear, leaving T-Bird & Vrasten in charge of her other bag as well as trying to find out where the hell Skinpin had go to she went in search of a porter on which to vent her spleen.

Ninoy Aquino, Manila, Philippines 3.39pm, 4/08/17

With no sign still of Skinpin & Alex throwing a strop Vrasten drew the short straw & went back to immigration to see what he could find out, T-Bird waited patiently with their piled bags trying to ignore the seemingly endless hawkers pestering for business around the terminal, making good use of the Filipino & Tagalog language chips they'd purchased on line the week previous. Deciding that it wasn't really good enough he took the initiative & dug out the details for a number of the various recommended hotels of substance within the official guide issued by the Philippine Department of Tourism, twenty minutes later with no sign of the others T-Bird had booked them into the Makati Shangri-La for four nights, it wasn't cheap but as he figured they were on all expenses paid he didn't give a fuck.

Ninoy Aquino, Manila, Philippines 4.05pm, 4/08/17

Eventually Alex had accosted what appeared to be an official uniformed airport porter having explained to several, as it turned out, unofficial touts that her bag was missing, taking Alex's flight details the little man smiled toothlessly & disappeared promising to locate her missing case, it wasn't quite the auspicious beginnings that she'd hoped for.

Ninoy Aquino, Manila, Philippines 4.38pm, 4/08/17

Happily reunited with her luggage Alex made her way back towards Vrasten & T-Bird sans Skinpin,

"Please tell me he's not carrying something he shouldn't" asked Alex

Ninoy Aquino, Manila, Philippines 6.52pm, 4/08/17

Eventually Skinpin appeared in the arrivals lounge pushing his baggage trolley before him, whilst T-Bird called the hotel to confirm they could now be collected, Skinpin sheepishly apologised for the delay, he explained that he'd been picked out by a sniffer dog whilst they were stood in the immigration line & been dragged out for further questioning, as the others had already gone through he couldn't tell them.

He'd spent the next several hours explaining that he wasn't a drug mule & that in fact he was bona fida military trained paramedic who obviously & legally came into contact with drugs, legal or otherwise, during the course of his work, a storey that actually wasn't that far from the truth, having ascertained he wasn't carrying anything he shouldn't they patted him on the back & wished him a pleasant if slightly delayed holiday. With everybody & everything present & correct they left the, thankfully, air conditioned lounge & avoiding all the little helpers found the hotel employed chauffeur waiting patiently with a hand scrawled name card outside the terminal.

Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Avenue, Manila, Philippines 7.21pm, 4/08/17

Fifteen minutes later they pulled up outside of the Makati Shangri-La, ushered into its luxuriously decadent reception trailed by a several bellhops carrying their bags the receptionist efficiently checked them in & ensured they were directed to their rooms with the minimum of fuss.

"You don't have to thank me" chimed T-Bird as they waited for the lift, "it's all in a days work, shower & then cocktails ?"

Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Avenue, Manila, Philippines 8.43pm, 4/08/17

Showered & shaved the four met in the Red bar of the hotel all were seriously impressed by the service provided.

Alex, keen to get out on the street, stated that she was going to go have a mooch about & try a couple of bars, Vrasten, wearing shorts, sandals & an outrageous shirt, decided to tag along, Skinpin suggested he was going to check out the hotels facilities whilst T-Bird was up for no more than a quiet drink in one of the hotels several bars.

Leaving T-Bird & Skinpin where they were Alex & Vrasten headed out onto the street.

Manila Central, Philippines 9.17pm, 4/08/17

Clearly at a loss as to where they were going Alex & Vrasten picked a direction at random & began to somewhat warily trawl the various bars & café's they came across in their meandering. Alex, clearly with ulterior motives, kept an eye out for the more salubrious haunts however without knowing exactly where to go this wasn't so simple.

Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Avenue, Manila, Philippines 10.41pm, 4/08/17

On his own at the bar T-Bird ordered up another bourbon & tipping heavily made small talk with one of the hotels bartenders, after an hour or so of predictable banter T-Bird counted out several fifty dollar bills & mused loud enough to be heard by his new found friend how he'd happily pay well for a couple of hours fun with some local eye candy, hint eventually taken & slightly richer for it the it the bar keeper quietly promised that he could make a few discreet calls on T-Bird's behalf, several minutes later he returned smiling & suggested T-Bird might want to head back to his room in about twenty minutes but to ensure he had cash to hand, thanking the kid T-Bird slipped him another $20, finished his drink & headed for the lift.

Manila Central, Philippines 11.43pm, 4/08/17

A couple of hours later the pair had managed to pass through a dozen plus establishments as well as having scouted out at least double this number, in several of the more likely looking bars Alex had been receptive to approaches from a number of shadier characters suggesting they may be able to supply substances to enhance her enjoyment of the city, declining these offers she had tentatively suggested she may have other requirements.

One encounter in the Giraffe bar had elected a equally tentative response from a Malay streetpunk who seemed to suggest he might be able via friends to supply some type of small arms, unsure of where the conversation was going Alex did give him a mobile number he could get to her on but as he departed she didn't feel exactly confident that he wasn't just full of shit.

As they toured the bars Vrasten left the talking to Alex & spent most of his time people watching, on several occasions he felt they were attracting attention above & beyond what he would call casual & more than once he spotted what to his minds eye looked convincingly like undercover stooges.

Calling it a night around 2.00am they returned to the Makati Shangri-La.

Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Avenue, Manila, Philippines 7.03am, 5/08/17

T-Bird woke in a tangle of limbs & glanced at the clock & smiled, rolling the naked girl of his body he stretched & reached for his wallet & counted out the agreed $200 USD, quickly the Malay hooker dressed & made ready to split,"Hey, er, Mindy right, you come back tonight, same time ?"

"Sure big fella, me love you all night long, me bring friend, you have good time, $300 all night long"

T-Bird grinned & thought why the fuck not, he was on holiday after all.

Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Avenue, Manila, Philippines 9.21am, 5/08/17

Over breakfast Vrasten & Alex decided to continue their sight seeing tour of Manila Central whilst Skinpin announced he intended to spend the day being pampered, after breakfast he was intending to have a sauna followed by a pedicure & then maybe a facial & a full body scrub, unable to stop grinning T-Bird reckoned he'd covered most of that last night for half the price.

Leaving Skinpin & T-Bird talking whores Vrasten & Alex headed back to their rooms having agreed it would be a good idea to leave the bulk of their cards etc. in the room safe.

Manila Central, Philippines 3.42pm, 5/08/17

Having spent most of the day doing what tourists do Vrasten & Alex were just about to head back towards the hotel but had stopped for a moment whist Alex looked at some very expensive but very classy boots, trying to be interested but not doing a very good job of it Vrasten felt a hand gently slip inside his jacket plucking at his wallet, spinning around the kid was to fast for him & sped away empty handed, playing the injured tourist Vrasten wail about being robbed, briefly the surrounding masses glanced in his direction before continuing with their own business.

Deciding they might as well have some fun with this Vrasten & Alex bought a collection of cheap wallets & placed a single ten Peso note in each as well as a note suggesting better luck next time. Then with wallet appetisingly hanging out of back pockets they headed back to the hotel seeing who could get pick pocketed most often, they agreed Alex won when some fucker through one of the wallets back at her.

Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Avenue, Manila, Philippines 7.36pm, 5/08/17

After sushi in the hotels own Inagiku restaurant Vrasten & Alex deciding to continue the pretense of being tourists with too much money & decided to spend the evening in one of Manila's numerous casino's, Skinpin considered giving it a whirl but eventually decided he just couldn't be arsed & decided he was going to spend the evening quaffing cocktails in the hotels hot tub cinema. T-Bird declined to join either party as he'd arranged a prior engagement with Mindy & her friend.

Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Avenue, Manila, Philippines 9.27pm 05/08/17

After a quick wash & brush up & sporting their best bib & braces Alex & Vrasten headed out of the Shangri-La in search of some action, unbeknown to T-Bird & Skinpin they'd transferred around $10K from the funds that Saleh had gifted to them onto a couple of blank credit cards & agreed that win or loose they were happy to waste it having fun. With a few pointers from other tourists they'd eventually made their way to an area of the city towards the waterfront where it seemed several larger casinos operated, liking the look of the Pagcor Casino Filipino-Hyatt they stepped inside & separated.

Casino Filipino-Hyatt Manila, Philippines 10.02pm 05/08/17

Taking time to familiarise himself with the casinos workings Vrasten could see that Alex had already exchanged US dollars for the Casino's glittering chips & had taken a vacant spot at one of the Blackjack tables, not particularly being an aficionado of roulette or craps & not wanting to play pai gow against the house Vrasten figured one of the poker tables was his safest bet.

Casino Filipino-Hyatt Manila, Philippines 11.57pm 05/08/17

After a couple of hours play Alex felt she'd given a reasonable account of herself, she hadn't broken any records but she was a healthy $151 dollars better off than when she'd sat down, finishing off her on the house mai-tai she nodded her thanks to the croupier & headed for the casino's cashier.

With profit in her purse Alex went in search of Vrasten not having seen him for a while, eventually she spotted him at one of the higher tables, impressed that he'd found his niche she watched the roulette tables for half an hour or so until she eyed Vrasten coming her way.

Vrasten didn't bother heading for the cashier but simply retrieved his jacket from the cloak room & then rejoined Alex as she headed for the door, casually she mentioned that she'd made a modest profit, Vrasten, beaming, announced he'd lost five thousand dollars but had a thoroughly enjoyable evening but maybe it would be best not to mention it to T-Bird. Mellowed by the mai-tai's Alex, for once, let it pass, it had been a fun evening, why spoil the mood.

Just as they were about walk through the door one off the casino's smartly dressed pit bosses stepped in front of Vrasten & barred his way, smiling he offered Vrasten a palm sized velvet bag, politely thanked him & wished him a pleasant evening.

Slightly taken aback Vrasten didn't open the gift until they were on the sidewalk, inside was a Casino Filipino-Hyatt house chip bearing the words 'Pagpalarin ka sana' as well as a small card welcoming the bearer back & confirming the chip had a house exchange value of twenty two thousand PHP or, as his conversion app told him, $500 USD,

"See" slurred Vrasten grinning, "they really liked me"

Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Avenue, Manila, Philippines 10.41am 06/08/17

Enjoying a late breakfast T-Bird eventually joined the others, he looked as if he hadn't slept much but from the smile on his face he probably didn't care. Vrasten thought he was trying to compensate for, or at least forget about recent events.

Declining to join the others, who were intending to have a trundle about the waterfront & docks, T-Bird said he'd hang around the hotel & maybe try out the health spa but would also go online & book the Manila - Puerta Princessa ferry tickets for Tuesday as it hadn't yet been done & then, well, he didn't go into detail but it seemed Mindy & her friend had promised him something out of the ordinary for the evening.

The Waterfront District, Manila 11.47am 06/08/17

Wandering around the harbour, a strange mixture of the old & new, Alex tried her best, but without to much success, to engage a number of the local fishermen into conversation about who maybe they could maybe speak to about boat hire & who knew the waters between Manila & Palawan. Eventually one old chap had put down the net he was mending for just long enough to point out a couple of the larger fishing boats who would, maybe & for the right price, take Alex where she wanted to go, in light of such enthusiasm she dropped the subject.

The Waterfront District, Manila 12.54am 06/08/17

Sat drinking iced salabat, Alex trawled the Internet keen to find a potential local source of weapons whilst Vrasten & Skinpin contentedly poked around the many waterfront street hawkers & sellers of all things strange, wonderful & positively bizarre.

As she'd expected the kid who'd promised the world in the Giraffe bar earlier in the week hadn't phoned, suggesting it was likely just bullshit on his part.

After another hour or so she struck upon a inconsequential advert suggesting that the seller could lay his hands on best quality military surplus stock at reasonable prices, with nothing to lose Alex ordered another drink & made the call, regrettably whilst it at least rang there was no answer.

Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Avenue, Manila, Philippines 3.44pm 06/08/17

Back at the Shangri-La Alex sat in the shade provided by the manicured Mango trees dotted around the hotels lawns enjoying the aftermath of the afternoons' monsoon like downpour, idly she flicked through her contact list before again dialing the number for the alleged purveyor of military tat, she was caught slightly on the hop when the phone was answered near immediately.

For several minutes Alex quizzed the voice on the other end of the line trying to broach what she really wanted to ask without just blurting it out, namely can you sell me lots of big guns.

On the other end of the line the seller rattled off the sort of kit he could provide up to & including jeeps, tents, trucks & survival equipment, when Alex failed to be impressed by this the voice asked what exactly Alex was after, hesitantly, & with absolutely no idea who she was talking to, Alex managed to convey her general requirements without actually spilling the beans that she was possibly looking for hardware of the lethal variety, immediately the attitude of the voice on the other end of the line changed,

"Who the fuck are you, who told you I can supply that sort of shit ?"

Alex quickly explained that nobody had given her his details but that she was simply fishing for contacts based upon his advert for surplus military stock, after a few moments the voice, all business, suggested he'd have to hang up know but he'd call back later.

Briefly Alex wondered if she'd just dug herself a very deep hole.

Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Avenue, Manila, Philippines 7.17pm 06/08/17

Sat with the others enjoying a quiet drink Alex jumped when her phone rang, on the other end of the line a voice asked if that was Alex Price, recognising it was the dude she'd spoken to that afternoon she confirmed her identity. The voice, as yet unnamed, offered to meet up for a chat, Alex suggested the Shangri-La, the voice declined & gave Alex the name of a bar, the Bandido, & a time,8.30pm, for the following evening.

Before ringing off he asked Alex to send a photo of herself so he'd know who he was looking for, Alex obliged.

Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Avenue, Manila, Philippines 11.48am 07/08/17

With the Negros Navigation ferry booked for the following morning the day was mainly spent hanging around waiting for the evenings meeting to come around & trying to coax T-Bird into spilling his guts on just what Mindy & her associate had come up with that could cost him twenty thousand plus Pesos in a single night, for once T-Bird kept his mouth well & truly closed.

Bar Bandido, Manila, Philippines 8.27pm 07/08/17

Tailed by Vrasten & T-Bird, Alex slipped walked under the canopy, through the doors & down the steps leading into the Bar Bandido straightening her rain soaked dress as she went. Disassociating herself from Vrasten & T-Bird she took a stool at the bar & ordered a drink before glancing around the room.

Like most Manila bars of its kind it featured lots of pretty scantily clad girls, well, she assumed they were girls, it was pretty fucking hard to tell, doing their best to entice the punters to spend, spend, spend.

Similarly ignoring Alex, Vrasten & T-Bird took a table giving them a reasonable view of the bar as a whole as well as allowing them to keep a watchful eye on Alex, almost immediately one of the bars 'dancers' detached herself from the bar & gyrated her way over to their table, obviously not wishing to attract attention they offered her a seat, bought exorbitantly priced drinks & discussed the socioeconomic crises affecting Taiwan with their newly acquired friend Ruby Leu.

Bar Bandido, Manila, Philippines 8.32pm 07/08/17

As Alex sipped her Manila Sunrise her phone rang, as she fished it out of her purse a suntanned & casually dressed hunk took the stool next to her & greeted her in a voice she recognised, as he did so her phone went quiet.

Without giving to much away, including his name, the guy made small talk as he sized Alex up, for her part Alex was in no doubt that her contact was at the very least ex service or more than likely attached still in the service as part of the US contingent providing maritime border assertiveness against the Chinese, it oozed out of every pore.

For an hour or so they sounded each other out without directly announcing what might be for sale or what might be on the shopping list however by the end of the exchange both clearly understood that should Alex provide a list of merchandise normally available to Uncle Sams' finest it could, for the right price of course, be provided albeit that it might take a couple of days.

With business concluded Myers, as he'd eventaully named himself, made to depart but no before complementing Alex on her appearance, it being better than her picture suggested, smiling nicely Alex simply winked.

From across the bar Vrasten & T-Bird watched the unknown soldier leave before disengaging themselves from Ruby Leu's endeavors to part them from their money but not before they watched a second male stand & follow Myers out of the bar, presumably his back up in case it had all gone tits up.

Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Avenue, Manila, Philippines 8.21am 08/08/17

Account settled they headed for the Negros Navigation ferry terminal.

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